ANNA KATHERINE KITTRELL Design Portfolio | 2013–2018
ANNA KATHERINE KITTRELL akkittrell1@gmail.com linkedin.com/in/akkittrell 865.296.2766 I have grown to enjoy the study of architecture because of the way it directly effects people and the everyday lives of individuals. It is a field that is always growing and changing with the innovations and technologies of the time. Through my designs I seek to create clear, logical, engaging spaces that not only fit a need, but exceed an expectation. I see value in sketches and models, therefore I seek to integrate these methods into my design. I am dedicated to the work at hand while learning and growing every step of the way.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
01 03
05 Fall 2017 | Fifth Year 74–87
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GRAPHIC DESIGN
Fall 2016 | Fourth Year 58–73
CO-GREEN LIVING
Fall 2014 | Second Year 50–57
RACHOFSKY HOUSE
Fall 2014 | Second Year 38–49
CABINET OF CURIOSITIES
Spring 2016 | Third Year 24–37
URBAN ENGINE
Fall 2017 | Fifth Year 4–23
SANCTA ELEVATA
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SANCTA ELEVATA Abiquiu, New Mexico Professor Hansjorg Georitz Fall 2017 The design process began with researching and understanding the Cistercian Order and the essence of a Cistercian Monk’s life. Their lives revolve around the daily, weekly and yearly routine of tasks related to either the sacred or the profane. They live by the motto of “ora et labora” meaning “prayer and work”. This dichotomy of the labor and the worship is reflected in the architecture. The spaces are arranged so that the sacred is closest to the river and the profane is facing the mountains. The fields for their work and sustenance spread out beyond the footprint of the building. Each component follows an orthogonal path except the Abbey which points East and breaks the arrangement. The design utilizes local material and massive construction to seamlessly integrate with the majestic New Mexico landscape.
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CISTERCIAN ORDER LIFE
Life in a Cistercian Order Monastery revolves around the Order’s traditional commitment to simplicity, poverty, and seclusion. One leaves their former life to enter a life devoted to prayer and work solely for the service of God. The essence of this life strips away all unnecessary areas that could distract from total devotion to God. Every facet of the monastery is marked by simplicity, from the Architecture to the individual daily activities. The sought oneness with God is primarily achieved through the implementation of their motto “ora et labora” which means “pray and work”. The daily life of a monk or nun is marked by order and discipline. Each day begins and ends the same way. This scheduled routine strengthens their walk with God. Prayer and work intertwine throughout the day on a regular basis. Work serves to provide for the community and charities they support. The daily, weekly and yearly schedules reflect the simplicity of life they seek. This lifestyle promotes undivided devotion and seeks to eliminate unnecessary distractions.
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DAY 8:00 pm
7:00 pm
6:00 pm
5:00 pm
4:00 pm
3:00 pm
2:00 pm
1:00 pm
12:00 pm
11:00 am
10:00 am
9:00 am
8:00 am
7:00 am
6:00 am
5:00 am
4:00 am
Sunday
Saturday
Friday
Thursday
Wednesday
Tuesday
Monday
WEEK
3:00 am
December
November
Octobber
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
YEAR
FEAST CONFESSIONS MASS GREGORIAN CHANT WORK PRAYER
WORK
PRAYER
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CHRISTMAS
ST. BERNARD
ST. BENEDICT
WHITSUN
EASTER
LENT
EPIPHANY
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REGION
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The site near Abiquiu, New Mexico provides rich landscape with dramatic mountains, mesas, cliffs, and valleys. These landforms are created by layers of earth bringing many rich colors and textures to the area. This is a beautiful area right on the Rio Chama, branching from the Abiquiu Reservoir. This site provides both dramatic landscape and a reliable water source. The land is fertile and rich in nutrients for farming. The site chosen is located far enough away from other cities to remain secluded, yet close enough to access if needed. This area in New Mexico is an incredible location for a Cistercian Monastery.
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Facade
Wrapper Program Components Fields / Gardens
Sacred vs. Profane – ora et labora
SITE
Circulation
Common Route Monk Visitor
Embracing the beauty and nature of the site, the atmospheric qualities are just as important as the physical characteristics. Seeking solitude, rest, and peace, a monk seeks to find refuge in a new home, escaping the fast-paced, worrisome life of society. The monastery is located right on the river, both for the practical use of water and its aesthetic qualities. Water is vital to the Cistercian Order. They seek to be self sustaining, and water plays a key role in sustaining life. As well as these characteristics, it brings qualities of sound, smell, feel and reflection.
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EXPANSE
Working in Abiquiu, New Mexico presents a grand landscape with vast proportions. Following the principle of simplicity and minimalist design, I created a bar of program hovering above the landscape utilizing and framing the topography. This approach minimizes the footprint on the landscape while creating an elegant dynamic. The sanctuary breaks the line and brings a unique form echoing the mountains, bringing emphasis to the most sacred of spaces.
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MATERIAL
The material palette used reflects the colors and textures of the landscape. The use of rammed earth unites the building and the landscape. The oranges, reds, and yellows of the earth match the color of the rammed earth structure. The raw materiality highlights the play of light and shadow throughout the day. The building is meant to integrate with its surroundings, not drawing too much attention as a Cistercian monk seeks not to draw attention to self. This pureness and simplicity embodies the attributes that are important to the Cistercian Order.
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SPACE
The spaces within the monastery are also simple. They lack ornamentation and celebrate the beauty of the raw material. The space allows for dramatic changes on light and shadow throughout the day. The spaces also reflect the dichotomy of massive and light construction. The rammed earth walls have a strong, solid feel, while the colonnades and windows allow light in and views out. This allows for connection between the intimate interior and the vast landscape outside. The connection with landscape brings us back to the qualities originally admired on the site including both sounds and smells.
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SKIN
The monastery contains a series of individual conditioned spaces connected by a colonnade wrapping on the interior. Between these rammed earth structures is a skin made up of photo-voltaic movable louvers. This louver system act as a sort of filigree contrasting the massive construction. The louvers adjust depending on the time of year. They open in the warmer months allowing the breeze to flow through, while in the colder months they can remain closed.
Solid Void
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Winter
Summer
ABBEY
The abbey is made of solid rammed earth construction. The exterior has a double wall system that acts as a thermal mass capturing the suns energy during the day and warming the space throughout the night. This passive system eliminates the need to condition this space. The space between the walls also acts as a corridor for the monks. This space ramps around the abbey leading to the chapter house. The journey consists of views created by solids and voids in the wall. This design move both acts as a solar energy strategy and a experiential strategy.
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URBAN ENGINE Knoxville, Tennessee Professor Keith Kaseman Spring 2016 This is a living, learning designed space. It reacts to the occupants and activities within, creating a morphing interior as well as exterior. The forms and wires act as their own system, diagrammatically representing the energy of the territory. This is an urban armature of learning. It maps the heat, or energy of the city. It not only provides spaces of various styles and methods of learning, but also, it in itself is learning. In a sense, it exemplifies a human race that is always learning, adapting and growing. The systems within create an engine of vitality, thus informing and being informed by the surrounding vigor. The spaces are fueled by the community, while in turn fueling the community. This exploration of space and energy creates a dynamic means of cultural analysis and observation.
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EXPLORATION
This process began with an extensive exploration of form and space. Through testing and pushing the material properties of copper wire, twist ties, rubber band and wood posts, a series of formations were created. These models informed the analysis and spacial studies. Through extensive modeling, both physical and digital, this provided a platform for an urban narrative. A unique variety of ideas were created that could not be reached without initial modeling.
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HEAT MAPPING
This space reacts to the occupants and activities within, mapping the heat and energy. In result, this creates a morphing interior as well as exterior. It not only provides spaces of various styles and methods of learning, but also, it in itself is learning. The systems within create an engine of vitality, thus informing and being informed by the surrounding vigor. The form and shape merely reacts to the occupants within.
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Learning System
Urban Engine
Dynamic System
URBAN ENGINE 31
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Reading Nets
Shakespeare
Kids Music Fest
Dirt biking
Pickle Ball
Rock Wall
Party Zone
Wedding
Ropes Course
Water Games
Campsite
Farmers Market
Craft Fair
Kids Festival
Water Aerobics
Senior Citizen Day
Special Olympics
Bridge Race
Mesh Playground
Wire light show
Trampoline Park
Theater in the city
International Festival
Paint-ball
String Art
Jam Sessions
Gardening Class
Movie Night
Concert
Fabric workshop
Dirt biking
Reading Nets
Shakespeare in the City
city energy | s.03
Kids Music Fest
Reading Nets
Shakespeare in the City
Kids Music Fest
Dirt biking
Pickle Ball
Rock Wall
Party Zone
Wedding
Ropes Course
Water Games
Campsite
Farmers Market
Craft Fair
Kids Festival
Water Aerobics
Senior Citizen Day
Special Olympics
Bridge Race
Mesh Playground
Wire light show
Trampoline Park
Theater in the city
International Festival
Paint-ball
String Art
Jam Sessions
Gardening Class
Movie Night
Concert
Fabric workshop
Reading Nets
Shakespeare in the City
Kids Music Fest
Dirt biking
Pickle Ball
Rock Wall
Party Zone
Wedding
Ropes Course
Water Games
Campsite
Farmers Market
Craft Fair
Kids Festival
Water Aerobics
Senior Citizen Day
Special Olympics
Bridge Race
Mesh Playground
Wire light show
Trampoline Park
Theater in the city
International Festival
Paint-ball
String Art
Jam Sessions
Gardening Class
Movie Night
Concert
Fabric workshop
city energy | s.04
Pickle Ball
Rock Wall
Party Zone
Wedding
Ropes Course
Water Games
Campsite
Farmers Market
Craft Fair
Kids Festival
Water Aerobics
Senior Citizen Day
Special Olympics
Bridge Race
Mesh Playground
Wire light show
Trampoline Park
Theater in the city
International Festival
Paint-ball
String Art
Jam Sessions
Gardening Class
Movie Night
Concert
Fabric workshop
Reading Nets
Shakespeare in the City
Kids Music Fest
city energy | s.03 Dirt biking
Pickle Ball
Rock Wall
Party Zone
Wedding
Ropes Course
Water Games
Campsite
Farmers Market
Craft Fair
Kids Festival
Water Aerobics
Senior Citizen Day
Special Olympics
Bridge Race
Mesh Playground
Wire light show
Trampoline Park
Theater in the city
International Festival
Paint-ball
String Art
Jam Sessions
Gardening Class
Movie Night
Concert
Fabric workshop
Reading Nets
Shakespeare in the City
Kids Music Fest
Dirt biking
Pickle Ball
Rock Wall
Party Zone
Wedding
Ropes Course
Water Games
Campsite
Farmers Market
Craft Fair
Kids Festival
Water Aerobics
Senior Citizen Day
Special Olympics
Bridge Race
Mesh Playground
Wire light show
Trampoline Park
Theater in the city
International Festival
Paint-ball
String Art
Jam Sessions
Gardening Class
Movie Night
Concert
Fabric workshop
Reading Nets
Shakespeare in the City
Kids Music Fest
Dirt biking
Pickle Ball
Rock Wall
Party Zone
Wedding
Ropes Course
Water Games
Campsite
Farmers Market
Craft Fair
Kids Festival
Water Aerobics
Senior Citizen Day
Special Olympics
Bridge Race
Mesh Playground
Wire light show
Trampoline Park
Theater in the city
International Festival
Paint-ball
String Art
Jam Sessions
Gardening Class
Movie Night
Concert
Fabric workshop
city energy | s.07
city energy | s.01
city energy | s.05
city energy | s.08
REGIONAL NETWORKING
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Overpass
Canopy
INTERCONNECTIVITY Within the space itself, a variety of activities can take place.
Structure
The exploded axon to the right shows one possible formation that can be explored. The form remains, having both large open air spaces and more intimate size spaces. With this form in place, the activity within may be a large group gathering, a landing space, a movable trampoline, a festival, or many more. Further layering includes a flexible armature as the structure and the possibility of a changing material
Activity
covering in the canopy. All this is nested below the existing overpass that never changes and continually carries a stream of fast moving objects.
Form
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DYNAMIC IMMOVABILITY Each section axon represents different sets of information. A full reading of the site requires many more iterations of this process supplying a database of programmatic and occupancy details. Each transformation combines groups of people, unifying them in a diversity of inclusion.
PROGRAM SCENARIOS
AGE GROUP SCENARIOS 37
CABINET OF CURIOSITIES Knoxville, Tennessee Professor Brian Ambroziak Fall 2014 A museum holds the pieces the past that we use to form the story of our existence. Entering a museum is a journey from the present into the past. The McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture is a hidden gem on the University of Tennessee’s campus. Hundreds of exhibits, classes, and speakers have filtered through over the years. Unfortunately this piece of history is hidden from the majority of the campus. It is rarely filled with any reason other than school assignments. This design brings the artifacts to a location in Downtown Knoxville that invites people in, encouraging engagement in our rich history. The design creates opportunity for public interaction through public spaces and attracts the passerby with the striking long wood slatted facade. *Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Award
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CRAFT
Often times the craft of model making helps inform and enforce design decisions. These views show qualities of light and space throughout the design. The main bar of program is a series of exhibits in the museum, changing based on the spaces. The windows act as visual cues to changes in the interior as well as frames to the ever changing picture of activity inside. The skylights bring a soft glow of sunlight into the space, creating an enjoyable atmosphere while connecting with the outside world.
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SITE The main level use is mainly for the general public. These spaces include a shop and cafe area as well as classrooms with sliding doors that can be opened outdoor spaces to the south. Another important part of the first floor is the outdoor amphitheater area. The angles of the architecture come from a pivot point near the highway implying a sense of movement directly relating to the dynamics of the site. The upper floors hold the gallery spaces.
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INTERIOR
This view into the main gallery space provides a number of very different views all from one spot. The double high ceiling allows for maximum natural lighting as well as a connection to the surrounding gallery spaces. This small space lowered slightly from the main floor provides a seam, allowing for a small view back into the lobby space. The skylights above create an enjoyable environment for visitors.
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QUALITY OF SPACE
This section through the building shows the different spaces and emphasizes the contrast in public and private spaces. The gallery space on the top level is identified by high ceilings and open, flowing spaces. The spaces below ground include the offices and auditorium. This section presents the dynamics of the site through its ground level changes.
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FACADE
The main elevation is located along Willow Street. The predominant form is the dark, wood slatted gallery space that stretches across the entire site. The facade is broken up by punched out windows creating privileged views as you travel through the space. The space below is the cafe and shop with a glass exterior to create views in from the street. 49
RACHOFSKY HOUSE Precedent Analysis with Blake Kotti Knoxville, Tennessee Professor Brian Ambroziak Fall 2014 Through this precedent study we built a model that explores the ideas Richard Meier based his design on. The model clearly analyzes his use of form and geometry as well as light and shadow and color. The model was designed to show the transformations he made with his design. Completed in 1996, The Rachofsky House revisits questions of architectural scale and philosophy that have been central to Richard Meier’s designs. Meier’s design concept is an exploitation of infinite possibilities that geometric forms and volumes structured on a column grid can offer. The Rachofsky House is an ideal investigation into Meier’s view that the relationships in constructing spaces involve a balance of dialects: simple and complex, transparent and solid.
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ANALYSIS
Meier begins his design with two cubes and extends the volumes from the original form to create the correlation between public and private spaces. The simplicity of the original form reflects the key components used in modern architecture. Through a number of shifts, pushes and pulls on the initial volume, Meier creates an interesting series of spaces that flow together. These moves inform the design. The large windows and the balcony spaces reinforce Meier’s concept of integrating the interior with the exterior.
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TRANSFORMATION 54
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TRANSFORMATION 57
CO-GREEN LIVING Partner Austen Barrett Knoxville, Tennessee Professor Kevin Stevens Fall 2016 The city of Knoxville developed out of an industrial city, to that of an emerging outdoor and art town at the edge of the Smokey Mountains. The traffic through Knoxville consists of transient college students at the University of Tennessee as well as the young professional and the established family. There is a shift towards local, small business and away from an urban metropolitan center. Our concept came through understanding this change and how a traditional co-housing model and rural agricultural model connect and adapt to an urban environment. As a site in constant flux it is the goal of Green-Co Living to confront this negotiation between the current “normal” and redefine the future “normal” for Knoxville, living and farming. *First Place AIA Middle Tennessee Student Design Award
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Knoxville Site Plan
Site Plan
visual significance
noise diagram
CONCEPT
Traffic patterns
We sought to understand the identity of Knoxville, a town with grassroots of charm and tight knit community. With our understanding of the urban fabric of Knoxville, we sought to adapt to the flipped city model. The site sits on a line between the downtown district and the boulevard district. We broke that line with a bold statement. The form and organization aims to unify people and a city through a new program and typology. The form invites movement and exploration.
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Co-Housing
Urban Farm
SITE STRATEGY
Common House
Restaurant
The organization of space on the site came through a process of shaping and shifting forms that responded to our observations about the city’s behavior and character. The layout includes two co-housing bars that form an internal courtyard. The two housing bars are connected by a floating bar that contains a common house and a large urban vertical farm. The form is wrapped with a glass facade on the southern corner. This piece folds around and under the building forming the courtyard and continuing this greenhouse character through the site. The final piece is a restaurant that acts as an object in the landscape and relates to the greenhouse.
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GREEN LIVING The wooden truss structure formed out of an idea to fold the landscape through the design. The greenhouse acts as a wrapper that infects the site, following the folds of the truss. This scheme brings the new typology of an urban greenhouse in and around the site. It works to enforce movement through the site. Structure, material, and form work together to create a dynamic series of spaces and intricate system of details. The green brings life and energy to the site which will in turn enhance the life in the city.
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COMPONENTS
Cross Laminated Timber
Greenhouse Glass
Hydroponic Farm
Timber Frame
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URBAN COMMUNITY
The design invites human interaction through the unique spaces. The layout of each bar of co-housing encourages interaction. The common house provides a space for tenants to gather and interact and has a connection to the greenhouse. The vertical farm brings people from the community and creates opportunity for people to meet over common interests. The whole ground floor of the site acts as an urban courtyard space that allows for vendors or markets throughout the year.
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SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGIES
Louvers run across the large southern facade creating a great amount of shade inside the greenhouse all around the year. Double-pane glass and the energy recovery ventilators efficiently distribute the heat in the room. A solar greenhouse incorporates solar glazing for heating
2:00 PM
and plant growth, and thermal mass to store daytime heat for release at night.
W 2:00 PM 7:54 PM 5:23 PM
N
S 5:20 AM
[SUMMER]
7:43 AM
June 21
[WINTER] December 21
E
Summer Winter
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T IN
MER SUM
W
The energy in natural sunlight fuels the growth of plants in the greenhouse during warm and cool months maintaining a timeperature of 65-75 degrees ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY 14/16
ER
SUMM
SOLAR
SEMI - CONDITIONED ZONE ERV + PASSIVE COOLING
HYDRATION
water collection to harvest a natural source of water to be stored and reused in the drip irrigration system WATER EFFICIENCY 7/11
R
TE
IN
W ACTIVE COOLING ZONE :
GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMP + ERV EXCESS ENERGY ATMOSPHERE 30/33
PRODUCTION
The greenhouse provides a food source for both residents and the community as part of a C.S.A. program (Community Supported Agriculture)
WASTE
As a waste management iniative the co-housing participates in composting both on and off site in designated recipticles. The compost is then stored and reused in the vertical farm. MATERIALS + RESOURCES 11/13
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UP DN
CLT Walls
Elevator Shafts
Glue-Laminated Timber Beam
Rainwater collection Shaft Mechanical Shaft
UP
DN
Louvered Facade Steel facade structure Double-Pane glass curtain wall
Wooden Truss
CLT Walls
Wood Truss
Glue-Laminated Timber Column Gllue-Laminated Timber Beams
Glue-Laminated Timber Beam
Glue-Laminated Timber Columns
CLT Floor Panels - 7 ply CLT Floor Slab - 5 ply
Steel rods - designed to resist lateral loads by their diagonal placement
Mechanical Shaft
CLT fire-safe bearing wall
Elevator Shaft
CLT Walls - 5 ply
Glue-Laminated Timber Beam
CLT Structural Core
Common Egress Route
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Typical Structure Plan
ERV COOLING
GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMPS
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17 45 19 20 21 22 GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMP
53 24 25 26 27
HID GROW LIGHT
LED PENDANT DOWNLIGHT
LED PENDANT DOWNLIGHT
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CLT FLOOR PANEL SUPPORT
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32 Gllue-Laminated Timber Beams
Glue-Laminated Timber Columns
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CLT Floor Panels - 9 ply? CLT Floor Slab - 7 ply?
34 Steel rods designed to resist lateral loads by their diagonal placement
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CLT Walls - 7 ply?
CLT Structural Core
HVAC Plan
DUAL FUNCTION AIR EXCHANGER
Roof Structure Plan
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1
INTEGRATION 1
2
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4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
The systems aim to integrate well with the program and Level 5 1" = 20'-0"
structure enhancing the unity of the project. The systems we chose reflect the programmatic organization, which in turn reflect the attitude of the city. The HVAC plan separates the building into zones. Each zone has a separate system. The co-housing units have a more individual, customizable system, while the common house has a universal system. The greenhouse has a completely separate, more passive system. The structure itself brings a new typology and a softer, warm feel. It utilizes a new type of construction that is environmentally responsible as well as aesthetically appealing.
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STRUCTURE
Mass timber construction includes Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), Laminated Strand Lumber (LSL), Glue Laminated Timber (glulam). This material utilizes a strong and aesthetic natural material that is environmentally responsible. The construction process also produces less noise and waste in a shorter time. Our approach is to use CLT walls for a stereotomic structure in
1 43
2
54
the housing units and glulam columns and beams for a tec-
4
5
tonic approach to the greenhouse and common house.
roof 75' - 0" level 6 60' - 0"
Steel Facade Structure Timber Truss
Level 5 45' - 0" Level 4 30' - 0"
Glue-Laminated Timber CLT Floor CLT Floor Panels Glue-Laminated Timber Column Cast-in-place Concrete Spread Footing Concrete Slab
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Level 3 15' - 0" level 2 0' - 0" basement -16' - 0"
CLT Walls CLT Floor CLT Floor Panels Concrete Floor Slab Concrete Columns Concrete fire-safe Structural Wall Concrete Spread Footings Concrete Continuous Footings
louver roof system
roof structural beam wood trusses
glulam columns
steel bracing rods CLT panel structure double panel glazing steel bracing louver shading system
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GRAPHIC DESIGN Professor Diane Fox Professor Hansjorg Georitz Fall 2017 Architecture school teaches us not only to design spaces and structures, but also the main principles behind design as a whole. Through a presentation design class and studio projects, I have had experience designing graphics of images and text, magazine spreads and research documents. I have learned the fundamental principles of graphic design and have found a strong interest in them. These designs came through exploration of space in a new sense. This space is not occupiable space like in architecture, but visual space. These graphic design pieces reflect my ability to visualize space and composition in a new way. My design education has taught me to see the world in a different way and that translates into art and graphics. These works show a small portion of the graphic work I have created.
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Typography
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“If you do not like to let people do what they do best, do not hire Richard Meier. Our client architect relationship was a good one: Richard had a strong agenda and so did we. Sandy is an interior designer, so we’ve always collected crafts objects and respected how they should be viewed. The irony is that we have so much wood and textiles that we need this architecture of white and glass to show them properly. The house is a Richard Meier house, but it doesn’t feel like we’re living in someone else’s program. The house works for us. Now, seven years after moving in, the house continues to surprise and invigorate us. It is always different, at different times of the day and in different season. One of the things that makes it so unique is the absence of “dumb” walls. In most houses, there are parts of the whole that are simply bland, dull, and unnecessary: dumb. Every part of this house has been reasoned, and it is so well made that it sets its own standard. It’s a demanding house but it deserves all the attention it receives” –Lou and Sandy Grotta
D COMPOSITION
THE
Double Page Spread
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ANCE OF
Paul Goldberger
“The major volume of the house plays off the landscape with considerable grace, its curve a perfect counterpoint to the profile of the meadow.”
It is rare that an architect creates an iconic image at any point in his or her career; it is rarer still when it happens when he is barely past the age of 30. Richard Meier was 31 when he produced the design for the Smith House in Darien, Connecticut, one of those buildings that, along with Charles Gwathmey’s house for his parents in Amagansett on Long Island and Robert Venturi’s house for his mother in Chestnut Hill, near Philadelphia, at once set a career in motion and defined the American domestic architecture of an era. Not only did every architecture student in the late 1960s and early 1970s seem to know the Smith House, every layperson with an interest in architecture and design seemed to know it, too. Indeed, largely as a result of this house Meier reached a level of recognition in the early years of his career that exceeded that of many architects a generation or two ahead of him, and this left him with an extraordinary problem: how to maintain his credibility in the world of serious design amid his increasing fame presented a challenge to an architect as determined as Meier to be respected for his work, and not merely for his notoriety. Much of Meier’s subsequent career is the story of his attempt to respond to the challenge that the success of the Smith House laid on his feet. It is an attempt that has been successful in part because Meier, unlike many of his colleagues, has moved gracefully and easily from the scale of the house with which his practice began to the large scale of civic and commercial buildings. His larger woks seem comfortable with the role in the cityscape, and designed to assume such a role; they do not feel like domestic buildings wrought too large for their own good. But the very success of Meier’s career as an architect of large-scale works, from projects such as the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the Frankfurt Museum of Decorative Arts in Frankfurt, Germany, to office buildings such as the Canal + Headquarters in Paris to civic structures such as The Hague City Hall and Central Library, puts his domestic work in an unusual light: it is a kind of secondary theme, a counterpoint to his major work, even though it is the wellspring from which all of his architecture emerges. Meier has done best where he has a strong orienting device: if not water, then land and
view. The Grotta House of 1989, in New Jersey, for example, is set at the edge of a seven-acre rolling meadow, and the generous shape of its two-story cylindrical living room, the major volume of the house, plays off the landscape with considerable grace, its curve a perfect counterpoint to the profile of the meadow. (Meier did not use cylinders as dominant forms until recently, but to excellent result; this is a shape with which he appears to be exceedingly comfortable, as seen in the recently completed Museum of Radio & Television in Beverly Hills, and the Ulm Exhibition and Assembly Building in Germany.) The orthogonal sections of the Grotta House anchor and stabilize the cylinder, giving it a frame, and the interplay between the orthogonal grid and the cylinder is itself a significant part of its formal dynamic.
“The Grottas know exactly what they want and their house was no exception. As very important patrons of the crafts, their extraordinary collection was omnipresent at each stage of the design process. I sought a reciprocity between the scale of the architecture and the scale of the objects to be displayed, concerned to let neither one overwhelm the other. In contrast to the exacting requirements of the Grottas and their collection, their site put almost no constraints on form. It was up to me to impose discipline on the design. Strong geometry deliberately anchors the house to the site, an amorphous landform that I carved very slightly to receive the house’s form. The house and the land, initially modified to each other as in an arranged marriage, have become increasingly compatible with time.” –Richard Meier
Interior view displaying artwork with the simple forms and natural light East facade view of building fitting into the landscape Living room interior view, fireplace and seating Living room curved window curtain wall with view out into the property Interior view of fireplace highlighting the white geometric forms and windows
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SIMPLICITY
Research Document
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CISTERCIAN ORDER LIFE Life in a Cistercian Order Monastery revolves around the Order’s traditional commitment to simplicity, poverty, and seclusion. One leaves their former life to enter a life devoted to prayer and work solely for the service of God. The essence of this life strips away all unnecessary areas that could distract from total devotion to God. Every facet of the monastery is marked by simplicity, from the Architecture to the individual daily activities. The sought oneness with God is primarily achieved through the implementation of their motto “ora et labora” which means “pray and work”. The daily life of a monk or nun is marked by order and discipline. Each day begins and ends the same way. This scheduled routine strengthens their walk with God. Prayer and work intertwine throughout the day on a regular basis. Work serves to provide for the community and charities they support. The daily, weekly and yearly schedules reflect the simplicity of life they seek. This lifestyle promotes undivided devotion and seeks to eliminate unnecessary distractions.
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DAY 8:00 pm
7:00 pm
6:00 pm
5:00 pm
4:00 pm
3:00 pm
2:00 pm
1:00 pm
12:00 pm
11:00 am
10:00 am
9:00 am
8:00 am
7:00 am
6:00 am
5:00 am
4:00 am
Sunday
Saturday
Friday
Thursday
Wednesday
Tuesday
Monday
WEEK
3:00 am
December
November
Octobber
September
August
July
CHRISTMAS
ST. BERNARD
ST. BENEDICT
WHITSUN
May
June
EASTER
LENT
EPIPHANY
April
March
February
January
YEAR
FEAST CONFESSIONS MASS GREGORIAN CHANT WORK PRAYER
PRAYER WORK
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ORA ET LABORA PRAYER
THE RULE OF ST. BENEDICT 1. solitude, poverty, order
ONENESS
POVERTY
SOLITUDE
/ rule 2. brethren, order / rule, 3. brethren 4. work, discipline / obedience 5. oneness, humility / hospitality, discipline / obedience 6. solitude, oneness, discipline / obedience 7. humility, oneness, 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17.
poverty
order / rule order / rule order / rule order / rule order / rule order / rule order / rule order / rule discipline / obedience, work discipline / obedience , order / rule 18. discipline / obedience , order / rule 19. humility / hospitality,
oneness 20. prayer, oneness
21. order / rule 22. solitude, oneness, poverty, prayer
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23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32.
order / rule order / rule order / rule order / rule order / rule order / rule order / rule order / rule work work
33. poverty 34. humility / hospitality, poverty 35. humility / hospitality, poverty, work 36. brethren, poverty, work 37. brethren, work, poverty 38. rule / order, oneness 39. discipline / obedience,
poverty
40. discipline / obedience,
poverty
41. order / rule 42. solitude, oneness, prayer 43. vorder / rule 44. order / rule 45. order / rule 46. order / rule
47. oneness 48. work
49. poverty, discipline / obedience
50. work, prayer, oneness 51. work, prayer, oneness 52. solitude, prayer, discipline / obedience
53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58.
humility / hospitality poverty poverty humility / hospitality humility / hospitality, work oneness, discipline /
obedience, order / rule 59. order / rule 60. order / rule, humilitiy /
hospitality
61. order / rule, humility / 62. 63. 64. 65. 66.
hospitality
brethren, order / rule brethren discipline / obedience order / rule work, poverty, solitude, discipline / obedience
67. solitude 68. work
69. solitude 70. brethren, solitude
71. brethren, discipline / obedience
72. humility / hospitality 73. order / rule, oneness
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ORA ET LABORA WORK
THE RULE OF ST. BENEDICT 1.
2. 3. 4.
ORDER
5. 6. 7.
DISCIPLINE
8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17.
BRETHREN
18. 19. 20.
21. 22.
solitude, poverty, order / rule brethren, order / rule, brethren work, discipline / obedience oneness, humility / hospitality, discipline / obedience solitude, oneness, discipline / obedience humility, oneness, poverty order / rule order / rule order / rule order / rule order / rule order / rule order / rule order / rule discipline / obedience, work discipline / obedience , order / rule discipline / obedience , order / rule humility / hospitality, oneness prayer, oneness order / rule solitude, oneness, poverty, prayer
23. order / rule
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24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32.
order / rule order / rule order / rule order / rule order / rule order / rule order / rule work work
36. 37. 38. 39.
work brethren, poverty, work brethren, work, poverty rule / order, oneness discipline / obedience,
33. poverty 34. humility / hospitality, poverty 35. humility / hospitality, poverty,
poverty
40. discipline / obedience, poverty
41. order / rule 42. solitude, oneness, prayer 43. vorder / rule 44. order / rule 45. order / rule 46. order / rule 47. oneness
48. work
49. poverty, discipline /
obedience 50. work, prayer, oneness
51. work, prayer, oneness 52. solitude, prayer, discipline / obedience 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58.
humility / hospitality poverty poverty humility / hospitality humility / hospitality, work oneness, discipline /
obedience, order / rule 59. order / rule 60. order / rule, humilitiy / hospitality
61. order / rule, humility / 62. 63. 64. 65. 66.
hospitality
brethren, order / rule brethren discipline / obedience order / rule work, poverty, solitude, discipline / obedience
67. solitude
68. work
69. solitude
70. brethren, solitude 71. brethren, discipline / obedience 72. humility / hospitality 73. order / rule, oneness
87